Dispensing package for material under pressure



DISPENSING PACKAGE FOR MATERIAL UNDER PRESSURE Filed May 18, 1959 P. MESHBERG Dec. 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR. Pfiiz fi Mar/M647 BY W M AA ATTORNEYJ DISPENSING PACKAGE FOR MATERIAL UNDER PRESSURE Filed May 18, 1959 Dec. 12, 1961 -P. MESHBERG 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR F/zZ/z'p Mesficy W M Q ATTQRNEYS United States PatentC 3,012,555 DISPENSING PACKA E FOR MATERIAL UNDER PRESSURE Philip Meshberg, 290 Euclid Ave., Fairfield, Conn. Filed May 18, 1959, Ser. No. 814,107 4 Claims. (Cl. 128-403) This invention relates to dispensing packages for materials under pressure of miscible or immiscible gases. More specifically, it pertains to applicator. or adapter means for use in such packages for directing the material dispensed thereby in a predetermined path.

The present application is a continuation-impart of my copending application Serial No. 775,607, filed November 21, 1958, and now abandoned.

I-Ieretofore, it has been the practice when dispensing certain materials from containers under pressure to utilize a directional applicator or adapter for controlling the path of travel or spray pattern of the material as it is dispensed. Prior to this invention, the applicators, most of which were of the oral or nasal type for dispensing pharmaeeuticals, were either permanently connected to the dispensing valve of the container or removably connected thereto when required.

Where the directional applicator is permanently attached to the dispensing valve, the problem of breakage and the storage of a complete package is a serious one; the applicator is readily broken if care is not taken 'in its handling and the normally outwardly projecting control portion or directional member presents diificult storage and shipping problems. In the removable applicator an equally serious problem is encountered; the applicator is commonly mounted on the movable valve stem of the dispensing valve unit and continued or careless removal or replacement of the applicator tends to break the stem or, at best, reduce its efiiciency. Further, careless mounting of the applicator on the stem causes accidental dispensing of the material.

The instant invention overcomes the problems aforenoted and provides a directional applicator or adapter unit which is readily removed from engagement with the valve, to facilitate storage and shipping, without danger to the dispensing valve stem. This is accomplished by permanently afiixing a mounting member to the valve stem, for movement therewith, and providing a directional control member adapted to be removably mounted by the mounting member in predetermined operating relationship therewith. g

It is therefore, an object of the invention to provide a dispensing package for materials under pressure which includes a directional applicator or adapter operably mounted by the dispensing valve stem and adapted to be removed therefrom for storage without resultant danger to the stem or accidental discharge of the material.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a directional applicator of two-part construction, wherein one part is adapted to be substantially permanently carried by the'valve stem and the other part is adapted to be removably mounted by the first part for controlling the flow, path or pattern of material emanating therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a directional applicatorhaving a fixedpant and a removable part with means cooperating therebetween for assuring a predetermined operating relationship when the parts are in assembled position.

Still another object of the invention isto provide in a dispensing package for materials under pressure, a directional applicator having a mounting member adapted to be fixedly connected to the'valve stem and a plurality of interchangeable control members adapted to be removably of such rugged character it will function for long 3,012,555 Patented Dec. 12,1961

mounted by the mounting member for variously controlling the material being dispensed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a directional applicator having a fixed part and a removable part, with the removable part including telescopically connected portions adapted to be collapsed together to form a dust cover or the like for a dispensing package, whennotin use.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a dispensing package for materials under pressure,including a dispensing valve having a relatively movable stem provided with a passage for passing the material, a mounting member fixedly carried by the stem for movement therewith and having a passage complementary with the passage in the stem for passing the material to the atmosphere and a directional applicator mem-berxremovably mounted on the mounting member for directing the material emanating therefrom in a predetermined path.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a directional applicator or adapter means which issimple in structure, readily manufactured by quantity production methods, adapted to be operated by unskilled persons and periods of time with freedom from'all difiiculty. e

Other. objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the specification and claims when considered in connecting with the attached sheets of drawings, illustrating one form of the invention, wherein like characters represent like parts, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of a dispensing package for materials under pressure including an improved directional applicator means; i

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partially in section, of the dispensing package and particularly of the directional applicator means in operationally mounted position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation showing, in detail,.the mounted relationship of the parts of the directional applicator means;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view showing in solid and dotted lines the dispensing package, with directional applicator, in storing and shipping posit-ion;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a dispensing package for materials under pressure including an alternative form of directional applicator means;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partially in section, of the dispensing package and directional applicator of FIG. 5 in operationally mounted position;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view showing" in solid and broken lines the dispensing package of FIG. 5, 'with'directional applicator, in storing and shipping position;

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing in solid and broken lines the removable control or applicator member of 'thedevice of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is an end view taken in the direction of the arrows 99 in FIG 8; v

FIG. 10 is an end view taken in the direction of the arrows 10--10 in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken in the the arrows 11--11 in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 12. is an elevational view, in stored ands'hipping position, of a modified form of the dispensing package of FIG. 5. a v

Referring now to the drawings, and FIGS.,1 to 3; in particular, a dispensing package for materials under .pressure, generally indicated by the numeral 10, is shown which includes a container 11 and a directional applicator or adapter means 12. The container which may be. a steel or aluminum bottle or receptacle of any other type commonly utilized in the pressure dispensing art, mounts a valve means (not shown) for dispensing the material direction of under pressurein thecontainer, on the operation thereof. While the valve means may be mounted directly on the container or in any other commonly understood manner, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention it is crimpedin the neck 13 of a valve mounting member 14 which in turn is connected to the container by means of rolled-inengagement therewith as at 15.

The valve means, which may be any one of the valve units commonly utilized to dispense materials under pressure, includes aprojecting valve stem 16 which is movable relative to the container for operating the valve.

The valve stem is formed with a passage 17 for passing the material under pressure outwardly of the container through the valve.

. It is commonly the practice in dispensing packages for material under pressure to mount a button or similar actuating means on the valve stem to operate the same. Buttons of this type, though they direct the flow of the material emanating from the container in a general direction, do not define a specific predetermined path for its flow or control the pattern thereof. In some applications of dispensing packages for materials under pressure, particularly in the pharmaceutical field and often with paint sprays and the like, it is highly desirable to control the flow of material as it emanates from the container by defining its path of travel or regulating the pattern it assumes. Heretofore, directional applicators or part structure, wherein one of the parts is fixedly connected to the valve stem and the other part is removably mounted on the fixed part. According to my invention a mounting member 18 is press fit or similarly fixedly mounted on the valve stem 16 for movement therewith.

While the mounting member may take any convenient "form, as herein illustrated it includes a substantially cylindrical body portion 19, having a flat 20 formed longitudinally along one side thereof, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained, and an integrally formed collar 21 adapted=to loosely receive neck 13 of the container when the valve stem is displaced inwardly of the container. Apassage 22 is formed in mounting member 18, which is adaptedto complement the passage 17 in the valve stem for passing the material emanating therefrom to the atmosphere. As best seen in FIG. 2, passage 22 extends longitudinally of mounting member body portion 19 for about half its length and there opens outwardly of the body tothe'atmosphere as'indicated at 22a. In order to facilitate and control the escape of material from the mounting member, a counterbore 22b is provided to enlarge the mouth of the passage. It will be understood that the shape and size of the passage and the mouth of the'same may be altered, as desired, to regulate the path or pattern of the material being dispensed.

Rer'novably mounted on mounting member 18 is a directional applicator member or control portion 23 which is adapted'to define a predetermined path or pattern for the material emanating-from the container 11 through the valve, valve stem 16 and mounting member 18. The-directional -applicator'member 23, which is similar to mounting member 18 and may be formed of plastic or like material, includes a substantially cylindrical mounting member engaging "portion 24 having a longitudinally extending bore 25 and a laterally extending bore 26. The b'ore 26, as best seenin-FIGS. 1 and 2, is adapted to snugly, yet removably, receive bodyportion 19 of mount ng memher 18 and is provided along one side thereof with afiat 27 which complements the flat 20 formed on the mounting member. By means of the complementary flats 20 and 27 a predetermined operating mounted relationship is established between control member 23 and mounting member 18 and their engagement is facilitated. When the control member and the mounting member are engaged in operating position, cylindrical engaging portion 24 rests on the upper surface of collar 21 thereby establishing a proper relationship between passage 22 of the mounting member and bore 25 of the applicator member.

Formed integral with engaging portion 24 is an applicator nozzle 28 through which bore 25 empties to the atmosphere. While nozzle 28 may be tapered for nasal application, flared for paint spraying or shaped in any other desirable form, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention it is cylindrical in shape for oral applications of pharmaceuticals and the like. The enlarged cylinder 29, forming the nozzle, provides a shoulder '30 with engaging portion 24 for positively engaging the depending skirt 21a of collar 21. By means of the shoulder a more positive relationship is established between applicator member 23 and mounting member 18. At the top of the applicator the union between the nozzle and engaging portion 24 is defined by a concave surface 31 adapted to facilitate the finger operation of the dispensing package.

a quantity of material from the container, manual pressure is exerted on the applicator to displace the valve stem inwardly, thereby permitting the material to escape through bore 25 and nozzle 29 in a predetermined path or pattern to the atmosphere.

Referring now to FIG. 4, after the desired amount of material has been dispensed from the container and it is desired to store the package, the applicator member or control portion 23 is removed from engaged position with mounting member 18 and positioned over the container so that a portion of the container is telescoped within the nozzle 29 thereof. It will be seen that in this manner a compact package is provided for storing and the valve stem and mount-ing means are protected against accidental jarring or the like. If it is desired to protect the entire directional applicator means 12, when in stored position, from contamination, etc., a dust cover 32 (shown in dotted lines) may be mounted thereover.

In FIGS. 5 through 11 a modified form of the invention is shown, wherein an applicator or adapter means 12a, including amounting member 18 secured to the valve stem 16 of the container 11, is provided with a directional applicator member or control portion 23a. The control portion 23a, which may be substantially similar in shape and material composition to the control portion 23 previously described, includes a substantially cylindrical mounting member engaging portion 33 having a closed end 34, and being provided with a transverse bore 35. The bore'35 is adapted to loosely removably receive the body portion 19 ofthe mounting member 18. Slidably telescopically connected over the mounting member engaging portion 33 and extending substantially perpendicularly away from mounting member 18 is an applicator nozzle 36, which in the illustrated form of the invention'is a tubular member adapted to facilitate the oral application of pharmaceuticals or the like. The nozzle 36, which is ofgreater diameter than the engaging portion 33, is formed with a portion 37 of reduced dimension providingan inwardly directed shoulder 38 for engaging an outwardly extendiugflange 39 formed integral with theengaging portion 33 in the extended operational position of control portion 23a. The end of the portion 37, of reduced dimension, of nozzle 36 is adapted to engage the flat 20 formed on the body 19 of mounting member 18 for positioning control portion 23a in alignment with the passages 22a and 22b thereof and to frictionally maintain the control portion in mounted position. A plurality of inwardly extending nipples 40 are formed integral with portion 37 of the nozzle to facilitate and maintain the mounting of the control portion on the mounting member 18. In the mounted position of control portion 23a the seat 41 formed by the portion 37 of nozzle 36 engages the collar 21 of mounting member 18 for positioning the control portion 23a and for maintaining the nozzle 36 in extended position relative to mounting member engaging portion 33, In order to facilitate the engagement of seat 41 with collar 21, the collar is formed with a step 42 (see FIG. in the plane of the flat 20 of mounting member 18.

The operation of the dispensing package 10, as shown in FIG. 6, is identical to that which was described with respect to FIGS. 1 to 3 above. However, in order to facilitate the free flow of air through the applicator member or control portion 23a, elongate slits 43 are formed in the mounting member engaging portion 33 to extend longitudinally thereof.

When it is desired to remove control portion 23a from mounting member 18 for storage, shipping or after use of the dispensing package, the mounting member engaging portion 33 is separated from the mounting member and is collapsed or telescoped inwardly of nozzle 36 so that the end 3d of the engaging portion closes one end of the nozzle. In order to facilitate the complete seating of the engaging portion in nozzle 36 and the closing of the end thereof by end wall 34, notches 40a are formed in the engaging portion, opening into the transverse bore 35, for receiving the nipples 4i Thereafter the nozzle is telescoped over the valve end of container 11, as shown in FIG. 7, for protecting the valve and valve stem and to provide a compact package. It will be seen that by means of this construction the necessity of utilizing a dust cover 32 or the like as was previously described with respect to FIG. 4, is eliminated, with the resultant reduction in the number of steps required to place the dispensing package in and out of operation.

When it is desired to again utilize the dispensing package, the mounting member engaging portion is pulled in a direction away from container 11 to Withdraw it from its collapsed position within nozzle 36 and to extend the control portion to its operating position. Simultaneously with the extension of the control portion, and as a result thereof, the nozzle 36 is removed from its stored position over the end of container 11 and the applicator member is then ready to be positioned on mounting member 18. It will be seen that this procedure reduces the num ber of steps required to place the dispensing package in operation to two, namely simultaneously removing the control portion from the container and extending it and thereafter mounting it on the mounting member.

In FIG. 12 a modified form of the invention, as de scribed with respect to FIGS. 5 to 11, is shown, wherein a knob or gripping means 44 is formed integral with end wall 34 of mounting member engaging portion 33 to facilitate the simultaneous extension of the control portion and its removal from stored engagement with container 11.

In addition to the features of the invention above described, it will be understood that a plurality of differently shaped, interchangeable directional applicator members may be provided for use in one dispensing package to facilitate variously dispensing the material from the container, as required. For example, one package may include both an oral and nasal applicator for alternately dispensing the pharmaceutical therein.

Thus, among others, the several objects of the invention as aforenoted are achieved. Obviously numerous changes in the structure may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims.

I claim:

1. A dispensing package for materials under pressure comprising a container having a material under pressure therein, valve means mounted on said container for dispensing said material upon the operation thereof, said valve means including a projecting stem portion movable relative to said container for operating said valve and having a passage therein for passing said material, a mounting member fixedly carried by said stem for movement therewith, said member being formed with a passage complementary to said passage in said stem for passing said material to the atmosphere and a directional applicator removably mounted by said mounting member for directing the material emanating therefrom in a predetermined path, said applicator member including a mounting portion having a bore therein adapted to slidably receive said mounting member and a directional control portion slidably telescopically connected to said mounting portion and communicating with said bore thereof, said control portion being maintained in extended telescoping relation with said mounting portion by said mounting member in the mounted position of said directional applicator.

2. A dispensing package for materials under pressure as in claim 11 in which said directional control portion is substantially cylindrical and said mounting portion is adapted to be telescopically collapsed into said control portion to close an end thereof when said applicator member is removed from said mounting member, said control portion being thereafter adapted to removably telescopically engage said container for protecting said valve means when said dispensing package is not in use.

3. A dispensing package for materials under pressure as in claim 2, and gripping means connected to the end of said mounting portion directed away from said control portion for facilitating the withdrawal of said mounting portion from its collapsed stored position within said control portion and the removal of the latter from telescoping engagement with said container.

4. A dispensing package for materials under pressure comprising a container having a material under pressure therein and including a longitudinally extending neck portion, valve means mounted on said container for dispensing said material upon the operation thereof and including a stem portion projecting outwardly of said neck and movable relative to said container for operating said valve, said stem having a passage therein for passing said material, a mounting member including a depending collar fixedly carried by said stem for movement therewith, said member being formed with a passage complementary to said passage in said stem for passing said material to the atmosphere and said collar being adapted to loosely telescopically house said neck when said stem is shifted relative to said container, and a directional applicator member removably mounted by said mounting member for directing the material emanating therefrom in a predetermined path, said applicator member including a mounting portion having a bore therein adapted to slidably receive said mounting member and a directional control portion telescopically connected to said mounting portion and communicating with said bore, said applicator member being adapted to seat against said collar in mounted position to be maintained in extended telescoping position thereby.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTION Patent No, 3,012,555 December l2, 1961 Philip Meshberg I It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2, line 27, for "connecting" read connection column 6, line 28, for the claim reference numeral "11" read 1 I I v Signed and sealed this 24th day of April 1962.

(SEAL) Attestz- ESTON G JOHNSON DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer v Commissioner of Patents 

